Study with Sara-Do you have Spiritual Flabbiness?

“Training your body helps you an some ways but serving God helps you in every way by bringing you blessings in this life and in the future life, too.” I Timothy 4:8 (NCV)

The Apostle Paul was writing a letter to Timothy, a young fellow associate and church leader giving him instructions and encouragement in dealing with church doctrinal errors as well as practical problems in the church at Ephesus.

Eugene Peterson’s interpretation ‘Message’ on 1 Timothy 4: 6 -10 writes, “You’ve been raised on the Message of the faith and have followed sound teaching. Now pass on this counsel to the followers of Jesus there, and you’ll be a good servant of Jesus. Stay clear of silly stories that get dressed up as religion. Exercise daily in God—no spiritual flabbiness, please! Workouts in the gymnasium are useful, but a disciplined life in God is far more so, making you fit both today and forever. You can count on this. Take it to heart. This is why we’ve thrown ourselves into this venture so totally. We’re banking on the living God, Savior of all men and women, especially believers.”

Continue reading “Study with Sara-Do you have Spiritual Flabbiness?”

Are we taking “part” of scripture as the gospel?

“An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth“. How many times have we heard this scripture used to justify one’s retaliation? I’ve heard it used, more than once. When someone speaks ill of us, or wrongs us, it sure makes us “want to get even.” However, if we read the next few verses, we find that “getting even”, (if I understand it, correctly), isn’t the correct teaching here.

Read with me, Matthew 5:38-42.
Wp-Content Uploads 2007 04 Books2W

.

Continue reading “Are we taking “part” of scripture as the gospel?”

How do you address God when you pray?

I’m am intrigued by listening to people pray. The other day I watched a man stand up in the middle of a warehouse, not in a church and pray. Afterwards I began to think about this exercise of prayer.
When we prayer we take it for granted God will hear us. We normally barge into God’s “presence”. Hindus and Buddhist bring their gods little presents and maybe big presents for all I know. Muslims pray kneeling and prostrating themselves on a carpet five times a day. We don’t bow, some of us raise our hands and we don’t give God gifts. We don’t say hello how are you doing to God. We just start talking to him. I guess it is kind of silly to ask God what kind of day he had? But I think he would like us to be interested in things that interest him.
Continue reading “How do you address God when you pray?”

Study with Sara-A Fool is a Fool

Proverbs 12:15 gives us a modern art painting still in the making waiting for each of us to finish and frame with our face of joyful pride in our own eyes. Solomon speaks and we sit up and listen, but do we embrace the counsel?

Jester


Solomon says in 12:15 in different ways but always the same ‘a fool is a fool’:

NKJ “The ways of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who heeds counsel is wise.

NIV “The way of a fool seems right to him,
but a wise man listens to advice.”

Message “Fools are headstrong and do what they like;
wise people take advice. ”

Continue reading “Study with Sara-A Fool is a Fool”

Who is the Father in Our Father?

Last week I asked who put the “our” in “Our Father.” I have several other questions to go with this one. However, the one on my mind now is, who is the Father in Our Father? I know some will say “duh, the father in Our Father is God.” That is true the Father in Our Father is God. But who is this God? I’m sure theologians could and have written volumes on this subject. I just want to give an answer on a blog to this question.
Continue reading “Who is the Father in Our Father?”

Study with Sara-Mirror Mirror on The Wall-Who’s the fairest of us all!

The mirror said: “You, my queen, are fair; it is true. But Little Snow-White is still -A thousand times fairer than you.”

Fpfd1302 (Disney pic)

We have all heard this fairy tale, read this fairy tale, told this fairy tale and lived this fairy tale, most likely, but have we understood this fairy tale? A great teaching story from Grimm’s “Snow White.”
We look and sometimes feel a twist of horror at the jealousy grown from a seed in the life of child to adult as we think on this story.
Do we understand how this seed got there and just what a undistinguished weed it will be?
In the book of James, Chapter I and verses 21- 25, James gives us a glimpse of the various variegated seeds of jealousy and other like seeds.
Continue reading “Study with Sara-Mirror Mirror on The Wall-Who’s the fairest of us all!”

Our Father

“Our Father” the opening proclamation of the Lord’s Prayer or the Disciple’s Prayer depending on your point of view. The question that has been going through my mind when meditating on these two words, “is who put the ‘our” in Our Father?”
Did Jesus put the “our” there? Is he claiming us as a fellow child of God? I’m sure many of us will be quick to say that Jesus did put the “our in “Our Father” and he is claiming us as fellow children of God. I’m just as sure that this answer will thrill many of us.
Continue reading “Our Father”